'It takes so much effort to get a law changed': Why the Wildlife Department wants authority over licenses, fees - Yahoo News

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation is again seeking the authority to set hunting and fishing license fees instead of state lawmakers.

Two bills proposed in the state Legislature would give the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission, the governing body of the Wildlife Department, the authority to change licenses and fees through administrative rules, just as it currently does with the agency's hunting and fishing regulations.

However, the only way to change licensing and fees is through the legislative process. The Wildlife Department must get a bill passed by the Legislature and signed into law by the governor if it wants to change a license or fee.

State wildlife officials say their intent is to streamline and modernize the licensing system so it will be simpler for hunters and anglers, not necessarily to increase fees.

The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission is an 8-person board whose members are appointed to scattered eight-year terms by the governor. The commission has issued a position statement in support of the effort to have the Wildlife Department control licensing.

Such a change would benefit Oklahomans by allowing the Wildlife Department to develop a licensing and fee structure "that is more responsive to customer needs, current economic markets, inflation and conservation needs," according to the position statement.

The Wildlife Department and commissioners would be able to review annually its licenses, permits and tags to ensure they are easy to understand, according to the statement.

Any license or fee changes approved by the commission would still need to be signed by the governor before becoming law.

Senate Bill 1709, sponsored by Sen. Roger Thompson, R, Okemah, and House Bill 4086, sponsored by Rep. Kevin Wallace, R-Wellston, are essentially identical bills requested by the Wildlife Department that would give the agency the authority to establish licenses and set prices.

Among the changes that the Wildlife Department would like is making licenses valid for 365 days from the purchase date and eliminating the calendar-year and fiscal-year licenses.

source: https://news.yahoo.com/takes-much-effort-law-changed-110027199.html

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